Thursday, 11 March 2010

Lecture notes 13.1.10

After modernismThe historical era following the modernContra modernismEquivalent to ‘late capitalism’ (Jameson)Artistic and stylistic eclecticism‘Global village’ phenomena: globalisation of cultures, races, images, capital products.15 July 1972 @ 3.32pm – modernism dies according to Charles Jencks (due to the demolition of the Pruitt-lgoe development, st Louis).Le Corbusier ‘plan voisin’ 1927 – ideal plan for future housing, perfect fusion of ecology and urbanism. Looks good on paper.Postmodern architecture – arrogant, not genuinely concerned with solving social problems.Urban splash – postmodern architectural practice.AT and T building New York – popular postmodern building – designed to be fun and playful as a building.Guggenheim museum, Bilbao, Frank Gehry (1997)

Book – J.F Lyotard – The postmodern condition (1979)Incredulity towards metanarratives = totalising belief systems.Result – crisis in confidence.Directionless society trying to pick its way through a shattered world – very pessimistic.Postmodern aesthetics.Chaos, complexity, not truth to materials.

Book – Learning from Las Vegas – Robert Venturi (1972)Postmodern city is dystopia(Blade runner) the future in the postmodern city – technology has gone so far people can’t work out if they are human or robot anymore.

At the end of the 1950’s the purest form of modernist painting was …Postmodernist artists – lampooning the modernist art world.

Book – Postmodernism or cultural logic of late capitalism – Fredric Jameson.Advertising is the greatest art form of the 20th century, Marshall McLuhan.Memphis group – the most important graphic designers in the postmodern era.

Crisis in confidenceBut also – freedom, new possibilities, questioning old limitations.